Apparatus for thinning plants.



E. I. WEBB.

APPARATUS FOR THINNING'PLANTS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIUE.

EMIVIET F. WEBB, OF OSYKA, MISSISSIPPI.

APPARATUS FOR THINNING- PLANTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMMET F. WVEBB, a citizen of the United States,residing at ()syka, in the county of Pike and State of Mississippi, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for ThinningPlants; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus for thinning cotton and otherplants, and has for its object the production of a simple andcomparatively inexpensive device for ac complishing this purpose.

Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafterdisclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which like numerals refer to like parts in all theviews :Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the complete device; Fig.2, a detail view of the lower portion of the device; Fig. 3, a partiallysectional view of the part shown in Fig. 1 taken on the line 33, andFig. 4, adiagrammatic view showing the operation of the device upon anexaggerated scale.

1 represents any suitable standard provided with a suitable handle 2; 3a push button or other movable part; 4 a rod attached to said button andprovided with suitable guides 5.

At the end of the standard 1, opposite the handle 2, is secured a sleeve6 provided with a lug 7 to which is rigidly attached a guard 8 having asharp edge 9. Through the lug 7 and guard 8 passes a pivot 10,preferably at an angle to the standard 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.Pivoted on the part 10 is a cutting blade 11 provided with a rearextension 12 to which the lower end of the rod 4 is secured in anysuitable manner, as by the nuts 13 and 14 fitting the screw threaded end15 of said rod 4. Also attached to the sleeve 6, or standard 1, is thespring 16, the lower end of which is attached to the outer extremity ofthe extension 12, as best illustrated in Fig. 2. This spring normallykeeps the cutting blade 11 opened out from the stationary guard 8, asillustrated, but when the push button 3 is depressed the blade 11 willclose on the guard 8, as best Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 21, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

Serial No. 508,705.

illustrated in Fig. 1. It is preferred to incline the guard 8 from thehorizontal, as shown, and also incline the plane of said guard, as wellas the plane of the blade 11 to the axis ofv the standard 1, as bestshown in Fig. 4.

18 represents a stalk of cotton or other plant which it is desired toout, and it will be observed that since the blade 11 is inclined in thetwo directions illustrated, that it may be manipulated to out said plantaf ter the manner of a pair of shears, or it may be caused to out saidplant by simply lifting the standard 1 and raising it into the dottedline position shown in Fig. 4, when the blade 11 will follow the dottedline 20 through said plant, illustrated in said Fig. 4, and withoutmanipulating the push button 3 at all. It is likewise evident that thepush button 3 may be manipulated to actuate the blade 11, while the saidblade is at the same time bodily lifted to follow said dotted line 20 inFig. 4 when the plant will be severed by a combined shear action and asliding cutting action of the knife. It is very desirable to be able tosecure this sliding out on the plant, for that when the knife is dull orthe plant is particularly tough, a shear action might not be suiiicientto sever the same; besides there being much more strength in the wristthan in the thumb more power can be applied on the blade than wouldotherwise be the case. The inclination of the blade 11 above thehorizontal also aids in this action, for that the blade not only slidesupwardly through the plant along the dotted line 20 in Fig. 4, but itmay be made to slide along the plant from its extreme outer end 21toward its pivot 10 after the manner of a scythe, and thereby secure anadditional cutting action.

In operation the thumb button 3 is depressed which closes the blade onits guard thus bringing the guard and blade together, whereupon they arebrought near the plant it is desired to cut, and then the thumb button 3is released. The releasing of the thumb button permits the spring 16 toopen out the blade 11, when it may be brought into proper cuttingrelation with the plant selected and then the plant may be severed inthe manner disclosed above.

I am aware that various pruning devices have heretofore been produced,some of which operate by a pushing action and some by a pulling action,but none of the same are so far as I know adapted for thinning cotton orsimilar growing plants, nor do any of the same so far as I am aware havethe same cutting action as that above disclosed.

What I claim is 1. In a device for thinning plants, the combination of astandard; a transversely and upwardly inclined blade so pivoted thatwhen it is swung open it is at substantially a right angle to thestandard; a stationary blade coacting therewith and means for swingingsaid pivoted blade on its pivot, substantially as described.

,2. In a device for thinning plants, the combination of a standard; atransversely and upwardly inclined pivoted blade; a stationary bladecoacting with said pivoted blade; and means for swinging said pivotedblade on its pivot, whereby when the blades are closed the plant issevered at an oblique angle, substantially as described.

3. In a device for thinning plants, the combination of a standard; ahandle therefor; a transversely and upwardly inclined pivoted blade; astationary blade coacting with said pivoted blade; and means forswinging said pivoted blade on its pivot, whereby when the blades arebrought together the plant may be severed at an oblique angle.

4. In a device for thinning plants, the combination of a standard; ahandle attached thereto; a lug attached to the standard; a stationaryblade rigid with the lug; a transversely and upwardly inclined bladepivoted to the lug and coacting with the stationary blade; a pushbutton; a rod connecting said blade and push button; and a spring fornormally holding said blade open away from said stationary blade,substantially as described.

5. In a device for thinning plants, the combination of a standardprovided with a handle and a push button; a stationary blade, coactingwith the pivoted blade and rigid with said standard and upwardly andtransversely inclined with relation to the axis thereof; a blade pivotedto said stationary blade and adapted to be operated by said push button;and a connection between said push button and said blade, substantiallyas described.

6. In a device for thinning plants, the combination of a standardprovided with a handle and a push button; a stationary blade rigid withsaid standard and upwardly and transversely inclined with relation tothe axis thereof; a blade pivoted to said guard and likewise upwardlyand transversely inclined and adapted to be operated by said pushbutton; a spring for normally holding said blade opened out from saidstationary blade; and a connection, comprising a rod, between said pushbutton and said blade, substantially as de scribed.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMMET F. IVEBB.

lNitnesses C. J. OLL, D. A. ADAMS.

